Update: U.S. Response to Pakistan's Flooding Disaster

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

August 18, 2010

The United States has responded immediately and generously to Pakistan's call for assistance following the tragic and devastating floods that began July 29. To date, the United States has provided approximately $90 million to support relief efforts in Pakistan, including funding for the operations of the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority, the UN’s emergency relief plan, and the many local and international organizations responding to this disaster. These funds are being used to provide critical supplies to flood affected populations.

The U.S. also is providing millions of dollars of additional in-kind and technical assistance. We are expanding pre-existing programs in flood-affected areas, providing temporary bridges, and mobilizing significant U.S. military and civilian resources to rescue victims of the disaster and deliver needed supplies. There currently are 18 U.S. military and civilian aircraft in Pakistan and three aircraft based in Afghanistan in support of flood relief operations. U.S. helicopters have evacuated 5,912 people and delivered 717,713 pounds of relief supplies.

America’s response to this tragic flood has been consistent with our humanitarian values and our deep commitment to Pakistan.

Latest Developments:

U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft, based from Afghanistan, delivered 60,000 pounds of food and relief supplies from Rawalpindi to Sukkur.

Four additional U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters arrived today as part of the continued U.S. humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. The helicopters bring to 15 the total number of U.S. military helicopters in Pakistan.

USAID provided an additional $1.5 million to the World Health Organization to help establish an additional 40 treatment centers for waterborne illnesses.

The U.S. delivered 530 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting to Karachi today for use in the construction of temporary dry shelter. This brings the number of rolls to 2,469, providing shelter for up to 74,370 people.

U.S. Contributions To Date:

To date, the World Food Program (WFP) has reached 845,033 beneficiaries in Pakistan, with more than 50 percent of the food provided to flood-affected families having been provided by USAID through WFP.

A total of 440,928 halal meals were delivered to civilian and military officials in Pakistan via U.S. Air Force airlift, a contribution of about $3.7 million dollars.

Emergency relief items, totaling about $4 million, were delivered to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The items include: 18 Zodiac rescue boats, 6 water filtration units, 10 water storage bladders, 30 concrete-cutting saws, 12 pre-fabricated steel bridges and a 25 kw generator which was provided to the Frontier Scouts-KPk to support their flood relief efforts.

Private Sector Response:

Working with mGive, Americans are contributing to Pakistan flood relief by texting the word “SWAT” to 50555. The text results in a donation of $10 to the UNHCR Pakistan Flood Relief Effort. Every $10 helps provide tents and emergency aid to displaced families.

The Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan cellular phone industry are inviting Pakistanis to contribute to the Prime Minister’s Fund for Flood Relief beginning August 5 by texting the amount of their donation to “1234.” A number of NGOs and companies have announced the establishment of trust funds or donations to the Prime Minister’s Fund.

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. Cash donations allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc.); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for flood response efforts in Pakistan can be found at www.interaction.org. Information about organizations responding to the humanitarian situation in Pakistan may be available at www.reliefweb.int.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Sign-in

Do you already have an account on one of these sites? Click the logo to sign in and create your own customized State Department page. Want to learn more? Check out our FAQ!

Because JavaScript is disabled, you can only sign in by entering your OpenID URL manually: